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Lipids in the land of plenty: metabolic studies in obesity and diabetes

4 March 2013

Hugh Barrett

The Charles Perkins Centre ispleased to host this seminar presented by Professor Hugh Barrett from the University of Western Australia.

Lipids are essential for life, but too many, primarily as a consequence of excess consumption, leads to a dysregulated system and increased cardiovascular disease. The human lipid and lipoprotein system is complex. Furthermore, plasma concentrations alone do not infer on the mechanisms responsible for elevated plasma triglyceride and cholesterol concentrations. Metabolic studies employing tracers, together with mathematical modeling, identify and estimate kinetic parameters that determine rates of lipid and apoprotein synthesis, conversion and catabolism, and consequently plasma concentrations. In obesity and type 2 diabetes, the over production of atherogenic lipoproteins (chylomicrons, VLDL and LDL) coupled with the hypercatabolism of anti-atherogenic lipoproteins (HDL) results in a pro-atherogenic state. Pharmacotherapy and lifestyle modification alter lipid and lipoprotein metabolism to lower cardiovascular disease risk.

Professor Barrett is a NHMRC senior Research Fellow in the School of Medicine & Pharmacology and the Faculty of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics, University of Western Australia.